'For each point of damage received from a tsundere, the main character will be granted 4 Points!'

Clown's words confused me. I was stunned for a moment.

Only when the girl coughed again did I come to my senses.

I told her:

"My name is Kylee Reed… or Kiryu. Doesn't really matter."

She frowned at my remark.

"And you are..?"

I stretched my hand to her.

The girl looked at it with a confused gaze before finally shaking it and introducing herself:

"My name is Aoi… Lu. I'm a second-year student."

Her palm was soft, smooth, and a little bit cold. Like that of a porcelain doll. While shaking her hand, I felt the roughness of my own. At last, our palms separated. The girl's face flushed red.

...So she's a tsundere.

Ha…

To be honest, I have never been a fan of that archetype.

"So… Do you need something? Why are you here?" Asked Aoi.

"Well, we live in the same dorm, so I thought that I have to introduce myself," I said.

"Oh… Yeah. Sure."

"Let's get well with each other."

"Yes… Let's."

"Let's!" all of a sudden added Murakami, looking out from behind my back.

Aoi frowned.

"And she is..?"

"I'm his stand. Mura-mura-mura-mura-kami, desu~" she said while punching the air.

"…"

"…"

"Ha-ha."

"So…" I told myself to keep calm.

"She didn't know that it was your room. Can you forgive her for that?"

"I'm very very sorry," added Murakami and bowed.

"Ah… Yes, of course…"

Aoi nodded her head. Suddenly, the stern look in her eyes vanished. She was looking awkward now.

"And... Can you give her some time to take her stuff away?"

I asked Aoi after some time.

"Mostly my underwear," added Murakami for no reason at all.

"Yes, just… Do it quickly," said Aoi, letting the girl into her room. I walked away. Aoi also left with me. We stood in the hallway. The girl was looking at the floor.

After about a minute, Murakami walked out with a bag on her shoulders. She smiled brightly at me and was about the open the door of the opposite room, when…

"That one is taken," said Aoi.

"It is?"

Murakami pulled the handle. The door refused to open. After that, the girl leaned against it with her ear, trying to hear whatever was happening inside. She even hissed at me and Aoi.

Several moments passed by…

"Silence," said Murakami.

"Should we wake him up? Classes are about to start…"

"No need to…" said Aoi. "It's a she. A girl lives there, and she is… She has her own schedule."

"Is she a second-year student?"

"Yes, but… Her schedule is special. She's not going to school."

"Oh, that's convenient," said Murakami.

"Hm. What's the point of even being here if you… Doesn't matter. I still have to unpack my stuff."

"Okay, see you then," said Murakami.

Aoi hesitated for a moment and then said:

"Yes… See you."

She went into her room and closed the door.

"So… What's for breakfast?" asked Murakami.

"Nothing," I said and went out.

We had to hurry to be on time for classes.

Murakami followed me outside.

And so, while walking down the sandy road and listening to the sparrow's choir, I was thinking… If I really am a manga character now, maybe I can skip all this boring school routine then? In anime it usually looks like characters do nothing but having fun in school, even though they actually have only forty minutes of free time out of six hours of pure boredom…

I had a hope that I will be able to skip the boring stuff. Sadly, that hope was not a long-lived one. Soon, the classes began and I had no choice but to write down boring numbers in my notebook…

Siro and his friends were absent today. What a happy bunch they are. I, meanwhile, was suffering. The only positive thing about the school was small talks that I had with Murakami during the breaks. They were meaningless but somewhat relaxing.

At the end of the school day, I stood up and went out of the classroom with Murakami. We went down to the first floor, then walked out of the building and separated.

"See you!"

"Yeah, see you too…"

She was now a member of the basketball club, while I had my sword-wielding classes.

And so I was walking through the school ground and thinking about how little free time I had now.

Many children were walking all around me. I have always been wondering how they could be so active after six hours of classes. Even back when I myself was a student, I was usually so tired by the end of the day, that I went straight home…

Soon, I approached a small three-storied building. That was the location of the kendo club. I entered the hallway, walked to the right, and went through the door at the very end of the corridor.

There, I saw a training room...